Darfur peace deal 'nearly dead'
2006-09-19 10:39
New York - Amid rising international concern over continued violence in Sudan's Darfur region, the United Nations said on Monday that the four-month-old peace agreement to end the ethnic fighting there is "nearly dead".
UN special envoy for Sudan Jan Pronk said: "Since its signing, the Darfur peace agreement has been violated day after day, week after week."
He said rape had become "a tool of terror", used frequently by attackers who showed no mercy towards women and children. He said villages were bombed at night and the government helicopters were flown to support the Sudanese Armed Forces.
He said the UN and humanitarian workers were harassed and their movement curtailed. A total of 12 workers were killed in the last two months.
The May 05 agreement was signed between the Sudanese government and Sudan Liberation Army, the main African rebel group in Darfur. But Abdul Wahid, one of the group's leaders, refused to sign, prompting infighting within the group.
People of Darfur 'have lost faith'
Pronk said that with the peace agreement unimplemented, violations of the ceasefire in Darfur remained unsanctioned and the people of Darfur had lost faith in diplomatic efforts.
Turning to Khartoum, Pronk denounced the Sudanese government for cracking down on political freedoms in the country "with heavy handed tactics used against peaceful demonstrations by the opposition and by civilians protesting against government policies".
He said: "Human rights violation, in particular, by the state security forces, have not decreased."
The Sudanese government was strongly opposed to the deployment of the UN peacekeepers in Darfur, a move authorised by the security council last month.
UN peacekeepers were supposed to take over from 7 000 African Union troops who were overwhelmed by the tasks in Darfur.
The African troops - many of whom would likely be incorporated into the UN force - were to pull out by the end of September.
While Sudan was opposed to UN troops in Darfur, Pronk said the deployment of 10 000 UN troops to monitor a peace agreement between Khartoum and southern Sudan had been completed. That agreement - separate from Darfur - was signed in January 2005.
Sapa-dpa
- SAPA